Out of Hope
by Biggoron
Summary: A thousand years after Ganondorf's defeat, the most powerful evil Hyrule will ever see descends upon the land. But with the hero of time gone, and the power of this new evil absolutely unparalleled, is there really any hope at all? Crossoverish with OC's
1. Prologue

_**Out of Hope**_

_Prologue _

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own the Legend of Zelda, (obviously) but I do own the original characters here.

_The day was an ordinary day in Hyrule: the skies were blue, and a gentle wind swept over the vast green fields that spanned the land. Ever since the Hero of Time, Link, had slain Ganondorf, the world had gone through an era of prosperity. The worries and fears of the people had drifted off into nothingness... all monsters vanished from the world, and all was at ease. Hyrule had become the idyllic paradise of the world. However, as some of the wiser ones knew, this wouldn't last forever. _

_...But nothing could prepare even them for what laid ahead..._

-

...When Evening came, the sky didn't turn its usual placid orange... but rather became an unusual dark red... the winds which had swept across the land had come to a sudden halt... and everyone and everything was mysteriously... quiet. There were only a few who knew what was going on... but even then, it wasn't at all what they had expected.

A young woman who appeared to be around twenty years old was waiting at the side of Lake Hylia. She had green eyes, and red hair that just passed her shoulders. Overall, she was in fact quite beautiful. Standing around 5'6", she stood where she was, a look of concern in her eyes. Suddenly, the look in her eyes grew a bit more hopeful, when she saw a figure on a horse riding down the hill from Hyrule fields, in her direction.

The figure appeared to be around six feet in height. He had red hair and blue eyes, and appeared to be the same age as the woman who was waiting for him. He wore the proud and shining plate of the royal knights of Hyrule. He rode a grand white steed covered in blue cloth and silver plate armor. At his side, you could see an ornate steel longsword with a golden hilt sheathed in a red sheath of detailed design. He was truly the image of a knight in shining armor. Riding up to the woman who was waiting for him, he got off his horse, and they quickly embraced each other.

"Ragnus... what's going on... you left this morning without saying anything... is something wrong...?" The woman asked.

"...I am sorry, Alayna, but it was the king's orders. He had something of the utmost urgency, and I did not want to wake you." Ragnus replied.

There was a moment of silence before Alayna finally spoke.

"Ragnus... is there something wrong?"

"No, Alayna... it's nothing."

"...You're lying, aren't you? Ragnus... we're supposed to get married in only a couple of months, and we agreed that we wouldn't keep anything from each other..."

Ragnus looked down, sadly, silently debating what he should do. He sighed deeply. "...It's Ganondorf. He's returning." He spoke quietly.

Alayna looked at him in disbelief. "The Ganondorf that Link had slain thousands of years ago... but... how?"

"We don't know... all that we do know is that he broke out of his prison in the sacred realm, and that he'll be in Hyrule tonight... we've got no hero of time, but as the finest knight of the kingdom... I'll have to do." Ragnus replied.

"You... you can't! You're not going into battle with that... that... fiend, are you?" Alayna exclaimed.

Ragnus shook his head, sadly. "I have to. I'm all this kingdom's got, nowadays." He said, before unsheathing his longsword. "...and this may be no Master Sword... but it's of the finest craftsmanship this land has to offer. It will work." He finished, sheathing the blade again.

"How much time do we have left...?" Alayna asked.

Ragnus sighed, and looked up at the red sky, which was growing darker and darker by growing darker as the minutes passed. "...I'm due any time, now. The knights of Hyrule are already gathered where he's supposed to come into our world... but they won't stand a chance without my leadership... I have to go."

"No! You'll be killed...!" Alayna yelled, now in tears.

"I cannot stand by idly and watch. If I do nothing, you, and the rest of Hyrule, shall bear witness to another age of darkness... so for the golden age to continue, I must fight."

"I... I understand... come back alive..."

"I will. It's a promise." Ragnus said, before kissing Alayna deeply. Not being able to say anything else, Ragnus nodded to his fiancé, and rode off north... in the direction of Hyrule castle. Alayna could only watch as her love road father and father away into the sunset, to fight the greatest evil Hyrule had ever witnessed. Though Ragnus was the most skilled knight in the kingdom, and his blade was indeed of master craftsmanship, he was no legendary hero with the blade of evil's bane... and this worried Alayna. However, she had faith in her husband... as he had never let her down on a promise ever before.

-

Ragnus rode as quickly as possible through the fields of hyrule. The skies became a blood red, and rain started to pour lightly down onto the ground. He wondered if he was too late, but when he saw all of his men waiting in that empty corner of Hyrule field, he knew that he was on time. His men all breathed a sigh of relief.

"General Ragnus... good to see you!" The second in command knight greeted.

Ragnus looked back at him with a serious expression. "These aren't good times... ready your weapons. We've not much time left." He said, getting off his horse.

"Sir, yes sir!" The knight promptly saluted. He then drew his sword, and stared into the black void that began to appear. Thunder began to rumble in the distance.

"Ready men... he's coming..." Ragnus said, unsheathing his own blade.

Suddenly, thunderbolts were visible in the sky, and a loud crack of thunder made soldiers jump.

"Don't lose your cool now, men! Stand strong... for the glory of Hyrule!" Ragnus exclaimed, as the sky became completely black.

Suddenly, a giant bolt of lightning struck in front of them, and the void was torn open. A sinister laugh that sent chills up the soldiers' spines was heard... a laugh that only he had. He who obtained the triforce of power, he who had plunged the world into darkness thousands of years ago, he who was sealed away in the sacred realm by the very power he wished to possess...

...Ganondorf...

Covered in dark armor, Ganondorf was a mighty ten feet tall. He had red hair, dark green skin, and piercing yellow eyes. At his side, was a humungous sword made out of light, sheathed in a long sheath which matched his armor perfectly.

Everything was suddenly quiet. The thunder and rain seemed to make no noise, and all the soldiers stood poised and ready. Soon, the creepy chuckle of Ganondorf had broke the silence. "Hm heh heh heh heh... I'm gone for a millennium, and this is how my homeland greets me... with swords drawn...?" He asked, sarcastically.

Ignoring him, Ragnus raised his blade above his head. "FOR THE GOOD OF HYRULE!!" He exclaimed. The soldiers followed suit, raising their weapons above their heads.

"FOR THE GOOD OF HYRULE!!" They shouted, running toward Ganondorf.

Ganondorf watched as the many soldiers rushed towards him, more bored than afraid. "Heh... foolish mortals... what hopes do a bunch of knights have..." He began, his fists suddenly igniting in dark purple flames. "...Against the great King of Evil...?!?" He finished, slamming the ground with his fist so hard that it knocked all the soldiers off their feet, and created large cracks in the earth... swallowing some of the soldiers that were closer to him than the others.

All of the soldiers who remained paused... now afraid of this man's power. In the blink of an eye, half of the knights of Hyrule had just fallen before his eyes. Ganondorf grinned at their fear. It was certainly good to be in power, again.

"...and now..." Ganondorf mumbled, smiling widely, he created a large orb of darkness above his head, which was probably as big, if not bigger than he was.

"MEN! RETREAT! STAND DOWN!" Ragnus yelled. The men began running away from Ganondorf.

"HAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" Ganondorf shouted, as the orb suddenly split into many beams of light, each which homed in on a group of soldiers, caught up to them, and exploded, creating a large flash of light.

When the blinding light faded, Ragnus looked upon the field in shock. All of his knights laid dead... their corpses strewn across the field... all killed by the dark magic of Ganondorf.

Ragnus swallowed, regaining his cool, and looked deep into Ganondorf's piercing eyes, causing Ganondorf to chuckle to himself.

"Heh... it's been awhile since somebody's been able to look me directly in the eye... his name was Link... and he was the only person who's ever defeated me... but as I can see... you're no hero of time, and that is no master sword."

"Well, we shall see if you truly are what they say then, Ganondorf..." Ragnus said, pointing his blade directly at Ganondorf.

Ganondorf simply smirked. "Very well..." He chuckled, slowly drawing his giant blade of light. "...it's a duel, then..."

**End of Chapter**

Tell me what you guys think. I have plenty of ideas for this story, and it will get better. So... please leave a review, as it will be appreciated. Thank you.

-Biggoron


	2. Only the Beginning

_**Out of Hope**_

_Chapter 1: Only the beginning_

**DISCLAIMER:** Refer to previous disclaimer... and by Crossover-ish, I mean that there will be bits and pieces of the Mario series in here... later. I don't own the Mario series either, but I still do own OC's and the plot.

"_Heh... it's been awhile since somebody's been able to look me directly in the eye... his name was Link... and he was the only person who's ever defeated me... but as I can see... you're no hero of time, and that is no master sword."_

"_Well, we shall see if you truly are what they say then, Ganondorf..." Ragnus said, pointing his blade directly at Ganondorf._

_Ganondorf simply smirked. "Very well..." He chuckled, slowly drawing his giant blade of light. "...it's a duel, then..."_

-

The two stood there for a moment, each with their blades drawn... Ganondorf's blade confidently at his side, with Ragnus pointing his blade challengingly at Ganondorf. The thunder grew louder, and the rain began to fall down harder.

"Your move..." Ragnus said.

"Please... entertain me." Ganondorf said, motioning for Ragnus to come forward with a flick of his wrist.

"Very well, then..." Ragnus said, running forward.

Ganondorf smirked as Ragnus ran forward, his grip tightening on his blade.

-CLANG!-

The two blades clashed, and they began forcing against each other. Sparks erupted from where the blades were colliding. Ragnus was trying with all his might to overpower Ganondorf, but Ganondorf had a bored look on his face... as if he was barely trying.

"You call THIS a challenge? I thought Hyrule could do better..." Ganondorf said, rapidly overpowering Ragnus.

Ragnus knew that he could not overpower Ganondorf, so he waited for the right moment, and broke the lock between blades just as Ganondorf put all his force into it. Ganondorf's blade was thrust into the ground, creating a bit of a crater, while Ragnus simply rolled around Ganondorf, and stabbed him through the back. Ganondorf winced a little, and then grinned. He ripped the blade out of his spine, and tossed it to the ground beside him. "How do you hope to defeat the great king of evil... without the blade of evil's bane...?"

Ragnus was now worried... not only did his blade prove to be ineffective, but he was without a weapon to defend himself.

Ganondorf saw the worry in Ragnus' eyes, and grinned. His worry fed Ganondorf's appetite.

Ragnus looked at Ganondorf, and then where his blade was... and then back to Ganondorf... who surprisingly enough, was nowhere to be found.

Ragnus looked in all directions for Ganondorf... but there was nothing around save the dead corpses of his men... until he suddenly felt a blade slice into his back. Ragnus reeled forward, and was now face-first on the ground. Ganondorf chuckled. "This is almost too easy..." He sighed, slowly walking over to Ragnus.

As Ganondorf neared, Ragnus could only think of one thing to do. He put his hands to the earth, and used them to propel himself upwards off the ground... and used the force to powerfully drop kick Ganondorf in the crotch area.

_King of Evil or no, a flying drop kick to the crotch hurts a lot._

Ganondorf grabbed his crotch in pain, giving Ragnus enough time to recover his blade. When Ganondorf turned around, all he saw was Ragnus, blade drawn, in the air, aiming at his forehead. Ganondorf didn't have the time to block, and watched helplessly as the blade was plunged right between his eyes.

_That will hurt a lot, too..._

Ganondorf yelled in both pain and anger, as Ragnus thrust the blade in deeper, and then quickly drew it out before Ganondorf could swipe him away. Ganondorf held one of his hands to his bloody forehead.

"...Not bad kid... maybe this is a challenge..." Ganondorf grinned, still holding a hand to his forehead.

Ragnus suddenly stopped in his tracks, as he sensed a great power. He then looked on as the back of Ganondorf's hand, which was still held to his forehead, began to glow with three golden triangles... the triforce. The triforce of power, the one on top, was glowing the brightest.

"...You..." Ragnus began, now in awe.

Ganondorf began to laugh... but this time it was different. It started off as a quiet chuckle... as if someone had told a joke he had found slightly amusing, and continued into a laugh as if he found something funny, until it eventually became the screeching laughter of a complete madman. Ganondorf began glowing with power.

"No... it can't be..." Ragnus said, now in fear.

"Boooooooo-yaaaaaaaaaah!!" Ganondorf exclaimed, now excited with releasing his true power again. There was a blinding flash for several seconds, and when the light cleared, it wasn't Ganondorf who stood there...

...it was a demon. It stood on its hind legs, and was probably twenty feet in height. It had glowing yellow eyes without pupils, and the snout of what looked like a boar. It had long red hair that went down its back, and bulging muscles. In its hands, where two humungous golden blades of power. His feet were like giant hooves, and his tail was that of the very devil, itself.

"...Ganon... the true evil..." Ragnus whispered to himself.

Ganon swung one of his mighty blades, which Ragnus attempted to block, but his blade was cut clean in two. He jumped back out of the way of the other blade, but the sheer force in which it shook the ground knocked Ragnus back and off his feet.

Ganon snarled, as he brought his great blade up for the finishing blow. Ragnus could only brace himself for the death that was about to come. He had failed his land. He had failed Hyrule.

_...but then, everything stopped..._

The rain, as well as the lightning stopped. Both Ganondorf and Ragnus paused... confused at what was happening. Suddenly, the sky changed from black... to a bright red. A crimson color that was redder than any blood you could ever see. Suddenly, everything began to shake... as if a powerful earthquake suddenly started... powerful enough to even knock Ganondorf off his feet.

_...Nobody would ever have expected what happened next..._

**End of Chapter**

I must say, that is one evil cliffhanger. Well, please read and review.

-Biggoron


	3. The Godslayer

_**Out of Hope**_

_Chapter 2: The Godslayer_

**DISCLAIMER:** Refer to the previous Disclaimer.

A/N: Well, it appears that this story's gone off to a good start. I'd like to give my sincere thanks to both Nintendogeek01, and NUTCASE71733 for your reviews. Seriously, they do mean a lot, and I hope that the two of you will continue to review throughout the story... but on another topic...

...do you know what I severely hate? On one of my other stories, I recently got an anonymous review from someone named 'Collin' that left no email address, and simply said 'it sucked.' Now, I have a serious problem with that. For one, if you THINK my story sucks, then you should at least leave an email address or sign in if you want to discuss civilly what I can work on, and what needs to be improved. Signing in anonymously without even leaving an e-mail, or without even saying why the story 'sucked' is simply distasteful, in my opinion... and the fact that the person left the review for chapter 1 leads me to believe that he or she did not even read the full story... everyone else thought it was great. This person, however, is probably someone with no writing ability whatsoever and just goes through random fanfics all day, leaving anonymous flames with no backings to them at all, just because the person could only wish that he or she had any writing ability, and wants to take their jealousy out on those who can. If you want to say there's something bad about my writing, leave a review and a way I can get back to you, so we can discuss what needs to be worked on. If not, then screw off; reviews are for constructive criticism and encouragement. Thank you.

...now that I finally got that out of my system, we can begin. Thanks once more to Nintendogeek01 and NUTCASE71733.

(...and Operation Jonny... hope you don't mind my little 'borrowing' of the Godslayer title. I couldn't think of anything else that'd fit, honestly)

_Ganon snarled, as he brought his great blade up for the finishing blow. Ragnus could only brace himself for the death that was about to come. He had failed his land. He had failed Hyrule._

_...but then, everything stopped..._

_The rain, as well as the lightning stopped. Both Ganondorf and Ragnus paused... confused at what was happening. Suddenly, the sky changed from black... to a bright red. A crimson color that was redder than any blood you could ever see. Suddenly, everything began to shake... as if a powerful earthquake suddenly started... powerful enough to even knock Ganondorf off his feet. _

_...Nobody would ever have expected what happened next..._

-

The bright red sky literally opened, and a thick pillar of light miles wide landed just to the left of Ragnus and Ganon's battle, completely covering the entire western horizon. It blew them both back fifty feet. The sounds of this heavenly beam shook the entire land, drowning out all the light into itself, crackling with an unknown, high power of magic that this land could comprehend. Minutes passed, and the light finally stopped. All sound had stopped, as well. If someone was to drop a pin... it'd probably echo.

The giant beam of light left a huge crater. Ragnus, and even Ganon were both curious to see what caused that beam of light. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard... but these weren't normal footsteps. There was a slight crackling noise to them. Both the powerful fighters looked on from afar... both out of curiosity, and of fear. They'd never seen such a display of power, before.

Though it was only a couple of seconds, it seemed like decades... but a figure finally walked out of the massive crater that now left a hole in Hyrule. He was a man... who appeared to be in his late twenties. He had very long silver hair that went halfway down his back. His skin was a pale white, and his eyes were blood red. He stood at around 6'2" in height and wore long, extravagant flowing red and black robes that not even all the riches of Hyrule combined would be able to afford. Each time one of his feet hit the ground as he casually walked forward, vast amounts of focuses energy would crackle where he stepped, creating scorch marks in the very planet. He walked forward, slowly, toward the two warriors, and smirked. Though not as wide as one of Ganondorf's grins, this smirk had something... more evil to it. This left Ragnus and Ganon speechless.

"_**You.**_" He stated very simply. His voice was loud and booming, and sounding like there were many voices speaking at the same time. Neither Ragnus nor Ganon could respond. Who was this new figure of such untold power...?

"_**...I believe you have something I want..."**_ The figure said calmly, looking at Ganon.

"...Who are you to speak to the great king of evil as such...?" Ganon asked, regaining his composure.

"_**Allow me to introduce myself... I am Ziranithos... the Godslayer.**_"

"...God... slayer...?" Ragnus asked in disbelief.

"_**...I am the one whose power surpasses even that of the gods...**_"

"Heh... really, then...?" Ganon asked, suddenly growing confident again. "...Then taste the power the triforce!!" He exclaimed, running at Ziranithos, who simply stood his ground. Ganon, with all his might, brought his mighty blades above his head, and then brought them back down onto Ziranithos, kicking up a humungous amount of dust, dirt, and debris.

...But when the dust cleared, nobody would've expected what happened. Ziranithos stood there... looking severely bored. He had caught both of Ganon's golden blades in a single hand. "_**Such poor craftsmanship... I've seen better.**_" The Godslayer stated, effortlessly breaking both the divine weapons in his hand.

Ganon stumbled backwards. Now, even he was in awe. "I-I-Impossible!!"

"_**Now... if you'd like to see a true weapon...**_" Ziranithos began, snapping his fingers. In a flash of light, a sword that was about half a foot wide, and six feet long appeared. It had a very ornate hilt made out of what appeared to be black diamonds. A gem that glowed different colors was set in the center of the hilt. The blade itself was completely midnight blue in color, and shined with an eerie inner light to it. "_**...Then I believe that this fits the description...**_"

Ragnus looked on in awe, but Ganon suddenly growled in anger. "How DARE you just waltz onto MY land, and break the prized blades of Ganon!?! Nobody beats the Great King of Evil... Nobody!!!" Ganon exclaimed, as loud as he could. He suddenly poured all the energy that he could, all the darkness that lay within him, all his hatred for the world... into a single orb of unfathomably dark energy that was at least a hundred feet in diameter. He held the orb above his head, and laughed more maniacally than he ever had in his life. "I was saving this so that I could erase Link from existence if he came to stop me again... but I suppose you'll have to do!! TASTE THE WRATH OF GANONDORF, B&H!!" He exclaimed, laughing like a madman. He tossed the gargantuan orb at Ziranithos, stirring up storm-like winds, and causing the planet to crack some more.

Ziranithos closed his eyes, completely unfazed. He held up his blade, and poked the colossal orb of energy... popping it like a balloon. It disappeared as quickly as it came. Ganon's mouth went agape, and Ragnus was still speechless.

"_**...not even amusing. Let me demonstrate what true power is...**_" The Godslayer sighed, and held his free hand up in the air. The red sky began to crackle with lightning, and the wind was stirred up even more. The sky itself seemed to flow downwards to the planet, and into Ziranithos' hand. The winds were absorbed into it, and the sound was enough to make anyone's ears bleed.

With a flick of his fingers, a beam of energy exactly the same as the one he came to Hyrule with, exploded from his hand, completely vaporizing Ganon, and tossing Ragnus far up and away into the winds... until he left sight.

Though the display of energy ended quickly, it took minutes for the light and sound created from the spell to finally dissipate. Where Ganon once stood, there was a single golden triangle. Ziranithos walked over to it casually, and picked it up, it melted into his hand. Suddenly, the back side of his hand glowed with the triforce much like Ganon's had... only Ziranithos' hand was glowing far more brightly with all three parts of the triforce.

Looking around, Ziranithos sighed to himself. "_**This world's gone through an age of prosperity for too long..."**_

**End of Chapter**

I bet that none of you expected that. Just who exactly is Ziranithos, what are his motivations, and where the hell did he gain all that power? Does the world really hold any hope? Doesn't look like it. Stay tuned for next chapter, and read and review, please!!

-Biggoron


	4. Welcome to Retrasio

_**Out of Hope**_

_Chapter 3: Welcome to Retrasio_

**DISCLAIMER:** Refer to previous disclaimer.

A/N: Yay Fast updating speed! Nothing new to say here, except thank you-s to Operation Jonny, Nintendogeek01, and NUTCASE71733. Now, on with the story! Enjoy, everyone!

_With a flick of his fingers, a beam of energy exactly the same as the one he came to Hyrule with, exploded from his hand, completely vaporizing Ganon, and tossing Ragnus far up and away into the winds... until he left sight. _

_Though the display of energy ended quickly, it took minutes for the light and sound created from the spell to finally dissipate. Where Ganon once stood, there was a single golden triangle. Ziranithos walked over to it casually, and picked it up, it melted into his hand. Suddenly, the back side of his hand glowed with the triforce much like Ganon's had... only Ziranithos' hand was glowing far more brightly with all three parts of the triforce. _

_Looking around, Ziranithos sighed to himself. "__**This world's gone through an age of prosperity for too long..."**_

-

"Is he alive?"

"He seems to be breathing... he'll be fine."

"...Really? That's a relief..."

"!!!!"

"What?"

"Look! He's waking up!"

"...What... where...?" Ragnus asked wearily, his vision still clouded.

"Sh... you must rest..." A soothing voice from earlier said.

"I... unhhhhh..." Ragnus moaned before falling back asleep.

"Could he be...?"

"...Don't know."

"Look! He's coming to again!!"

"What's... going on...?" Ragnus asked wearily, his vision gradually restoring itself. Everything went from clouded to blurry. In front of him he saw a blur of red and white, and a blur of yellow and white.

"...What is your name...?" One of the blurs asked him, in a soothing feminine voice.

"...You're not from around here, are you?" The other blur asked him, in a deeper male voice.

Ragnus' vision began restoring. "Huh...? I'm from Hy-what the hell are you?!?!" Ragnus suddenly shouted, snapping fully awake, and falling off the bed he was laying in.

"Guess not." The feminine figure said to the masculine. These two figures... were a creature Ragnus had never seen before. They looked like dinosaurs with larger rounded noses, and eyes that were full of their own unique life and power. They each wore boots of different colors, and had what looked like a red natural saddle or miniature shell on their backs, near their tails. They had orange spikes going down the back of the heads. Their bellies, and the bottoms of their mouth beneath the nose, were white. The rest of them was all a single color, but that color was different for each.

"...What's the matter...? Never seen a Yoshi, before?" The masculine figure asked heartily. He was a yellow Yoshi that stood around 6'5". His eyes were brown, and filled with pride, and his boots were green in color. He folded his arms, revealing large muscles in his arms that were beforehand hidden. Ragnus figured that despite their looks, this new race was certainly a strong one.

"So, where was it that you said you were from?" The feminine figure asked, curiously. She was a red Yoshi that stood around 6'0." Her eyes were green, and had a look of kindness and understanding in them, while her boots were blue in color.

"H-Hyrule!" Ragnus suddenly shouted, remembering the events that had earlier transpired.

"Ah yes. That's the world that borders this one." The Yellow Yoshi said, stroking his chin.

"I'm... not in Hyrule anymore...?" Ragnus asked quietly.

"No. This is Retrasio. It's a vast untouched world that lies between Hyrule and the Mushroom Kingdom. It's probably twice the size as the both of them combined, and twice as prosperous... you can find just about any kind of race here... Humans, Yoshi, Gorons, Boos, Zoras, Shy Guys, Kokiri, Toads, Sheikah, Koopas... you name it. The races of both worlds." The red Yoshi explained kindly.

"What I want to know is how you ended up here... and who you are." The Yellow Yoshi asked.

"I... am Ragnus. I WAS Hyrule's finest knight. It was my duty to protect the land from Ganondorf... and I couldn't... but to make matters worse, a much more powerful being came, and as soon as I knew it... I was here." Ragnus began, before pausing. "...for all I know... Hyrule could be completely destroyed..." He said, sadly. "...I've failed my King... I've failed my kingdom, and I've failed Alayna..." He finished, now holding back tears.

The two Yoshis looked at each other. The yellow one motioned for the red one to comfort him.

"...It's okay. If you want, you can stay here in Retrasio. It's an extremely prosperous place..." The Red Yoshi said, comforting him.

"...Until Ziranithos comes to blow it to pieces." Ragnus stated.

The two Yoshis were silent. Those words, as depressing as they were, hit them very hard.

"Listen... I'm Selena, and this is Graphor." The Red Yoshi said kindly. "...What you do is up to you, but you'll be welcome to stay with us for as long as you desire."

"It'd actually be the best option. You don't know how you even got here, so you don't know how you'll get back... and even if you did, how will you take on that... that... Z... Z... Ziromawatzit guy anyway?" Graphor stated. Though harsh, his words were true.

"...Don't listen to him. He's just incredibly blunt sometimes... but... if you really want to go out into the world... you'll need a weapon that you should defend yourself with... though they don't go anywhere near our towns and cities, monsters do roam the countryside, and some are very aggressive and very dangerous. You should be careful." Selena explained.

"What part of Retrasio is this, anyway?" Ragnus asked.

"Horeron." It's a small town populated with the majority of all the races. Quite peaceful, especially for those who've decided to settle down and live life peacefully. It's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy to the south of Metrigard, the capital city and central point of Retrasio."

"I see... I don't care if it kills me, but I'll try and find away back into Hyrule, and stop Ziranithos... for Alayna's sake.

"That's the spirit!" Graphor bellowed. "As for a weapon... come to my shop! We Yoshis are known as well for our blacksmithing skills as the gorons."

"Graphor here is an exceptionally good blacksmith, even among Yoshis. His shop will have a weapon that's just right for you." Selena explained.

"Due to your predicament, I'll let you take one weapon, for no cost. Not like rupees are valid in this world. Kyriths are our currency of choice." Graphor said.

"...Kyriths...?" Ragnus asked.

Selena pulled out what looked like both a rupee and a coin at the same time. It was round like a coin, but glowed with the majestic color of a rupee. "Symbol of how our world is the collaboration of Hyrule and the Mushroom Kingdom."

"I see." Ragnus replied.

"Come! Allow me to show you what I've got..." Graphor said, leading Ragnus and Selena outside.

_...Ragnus looked on in awe at the town of Horeron..._

In the center of town was a marketplace filled with all kinds of races... some which were familiar to Ragnus, and others that were completely different. Ragnus never thought that he'd see an armless walking bomb or a spherical fanged ghost out in broad daylight in his life. Outside the marketplace was the residential district, where he currently was with his two new friends. Outside the residential district was a sturdy wall made of some unknown metal that seemed like it would repel just about anything that came at it.

Graphor led Ragnus to his store, while Selena went off to shop in the marketplace. Stepping inside the store, Ragnus looked around. He'd never seen so many weapons in one place... not even in Hyrule's armory!

Graphor walked behind the desk. "So... what type of weapon best suits you?" He asked.

"How specific should I be?" Ragnus asked.

"Try me." Graphor replied.

"Well..." Ragnus began, putting a hand to his chin while looking up at the ceiling in thought. "...I'm comfortable in using longswords... preferably ones that aren't too heavy, but pack a punch as well... between three and four feet in length... if you could..." Ragnus said, looking down, and stopping. He noticed that the counter was completely filled with various weapons of the kind he requested. Graphor smirked triumphantly. "That's quite a... selection." Ragnus said, surprised at how Graphor just pulled out about fifty blades of the exact type he wanted in a matter of a few seconds.

"Choose any one you want! I've got plenty more where that came from!" Graphor laughed.

Given the opportunity to pick any blade of a good batch he desired, and figuring that it would be going toward saving Hyrule, probably Retrasio, and possibly even all of existence, itself, Ragnus looked through them all, trying to find the perfect one. There were steel swords, Iron swords, Silver swords, Mythril swords... even sword made out of alloys he's never seen before. However, there was one blade... that when Ragnus saw it, knew that it was the sword for him.

It was a longsword that had a blade of about four feet in length. The hilt was golden, and had a diamond embedded in the center. The handle was wrapped in a fine and comfortable brown leather made for gripping, and at the bottom of the pommel was a ruby. The blade itself was red, too... and looking at it would make one feel as if they were a tad hot. Ragnus held the sword in his hands, and swung the blade a few times, each swing significantly raising the temperature in the room. Ragnus found that the sword was in fact, very comfortable in his hands.

Graphor smiled. "I forgot about that one... it was my very first blade... and probably one of, if not the, best of them. The blade itself is made out of fused adamantium, crystals, rubies, and red elemental components... a perfect fit. You seem very comfortable with it, and the blade packs a punch as well. It's not going to break easily. You could hit this thing as many times as you want against a solid wall, and it won't even have a scratch on it! Since it'll be going toward saving your world, I'll allow you to keep it..."

"Thank you very much... what's its name?" Ragnus asked.

"I called it Firagus, but you can rename it, if you desire." Graphor replied.

"No. Firagus it is."

**End of Chapter**

Well, what do you all think? Don't be afraid to let me know! Review, everyone, and I'll be sure to update again, soon.

-Biggoron


	5. Green Forest

_**Out of Hope**_

_Chapter 4: Green Forest_

**DISCLAIMER:** Refer to the previous Disclaimer.

_Graphor smiled. "I forgot about that one... it was my very first blade... and probably one of, if not the, best of them. The blade itself is made out of fused adamantium, crystals, rubies, and red elemental components... a perfect fit. You seem very comfortable with it, and the blade packs a punch as well. It's not going to break easily. You could hit this thing as many times as you want against a solid wall, and it won't even have a scratch on it! Since it'll be going toward saving your world, I'll allow you to keep it..."_

_"Thank you very much... what's its name?" Ragnus asked._

_"I called it Firagus, but you can rename it, if you desire." Graphor replied._

_"No. Firagus it is."_

-

"Will you at least stay for the night?" Selena asked.

"No. Every moment I waste, the more the people of Hyrule will suffer... if any of Hyrule is even left, that is." Ragnus replied.

"Alright... head north, then. You'll find the Green Forest and the city of Balrua on the other side of it. That should be your next stop if you're en route to the capital... I don't know what you plan to do, but that'd be the best place to find any answers." Selena explained.

"Be careful ... and take good care of Firagus!" Graphor said.

"Don't worry. I will... and I'll never forget your hospitality." Ragnus said, turning to leave.

"Good luck!" Graphor yelled after him.

"Come back to visit us any time!" Selena shouted.

"Don't worry, I will!" Ragnus shouted back, waving as he walked away into the sunset, leaving Horeron and going off into this vast and new world...

_...With a map in hand, Ragnus began travelling the great lands of Retrasio. The great rolling plains of green and the gentle winds blowing over them reminded him of the fields of Hyrule. How he missed his homeland..._

_...Following the set path North for only a total of an hour, Ragnus found the forest which he was directed toward by Selena... It was called the Green Forest, and served as a natural barrier between Horeron and the remainder of Retrasio. It appeared to be a lush forest filled with pine trees, and seemed like it posed no threat. On the other hand, it was no longer evening, but nighttime._

_Even though this world was new to him, Ragnus did know full well that forests are much more dangerous at nighttime. He unsheathed Firagus, and cautiously entered the forest..._

It was very quiet, and this annoyed Ragnus. He decided to break the silence by thinking out loud.

"...This world... it's so similar yet different to Hyrule... and I doubt I've even begun to scratch its surface..." He sighed. "I wonder if there are even monsters around..."

He stayed silent for a minute, continuing his little trek though the nearly harmless green forest... until he finally heard some whisperings going on behind a bush. Curious, and with nothing better to do, Ragnus peered into the bushes. Three Koopa-like creatures were all whispering to each other. Only difference is that these Koopas flew on broomsticks, wore small spectacles, wore large cloaks that concealed most of their body, and had fangs.

Figuring that he was fairly lost, and these three creatures bore a strong resemblance to Koopas, he decided to ask for directions. "Excuse me, but do any of you know the way to get to the city of Balrua?" Ragnus asked.

The three magikoopa stopped talking amongst themselves, and looked at Ragnus nervously. They then began to talk whisper to each other again. Ragnus could hear most of the things they were saying.

"...Think he heard about our plan to... on Horeron tonight...?"

"No... Wasn't standing... for... enough."

"Still... never... to be...-ful."

"What plan involving Horeron...?" Ragnus asked, having picked up that part of the conversation.

The three magikoopa looked nervously at each other.

"Um... our plans to... hold the celebration of... Lord Bowser XXXVIII!" One of them exclaimed.

The second of the magikoopa smacked his palm into his forehead out of embarrassment of his partner's stupidity.

"You... IDIOT!! This isn't even the mushroom Kingdom!!! ... and they don't worship Bowser!!" The third exclaimed.

"Wait... so you three know how to travel between dimensions...?" Ragnus asked.

"Yes, actually..." The first began.

The second smacked the first with his wand, shutting him up, and the third growled.

"Never mind that! You've heard too much, so it's time to die!!!" The third yelled, taking out a wand, and aiming it at Ragnus, who held his blade up in defense. The magikoopa shot out a fireball, but the flames wrapped around Firagus instead of hitting Ragnus.

The magikoopa looked on, dumbfounded at what just happened.

"Knew I picked the right one..." Ragnus chuckled to himself.

"If that doesn't do it, then this will!!!" The magikoopa shouted, as he and his two comrades suddenly held their wands out, which were glowing with magic.

Ragnus braced himself for an attack, but instead of attacking, the magic formed a vortex from which monsters came. There were three wolflos, five goombas, and two miniature peahats.

"Hm... either they're being summoned from another dimension of Retrasio has creatures that exist in both worlds." Ragnus said, readying his weapon as all ten monsters strode toward him.

"Retrasio has creatures from both worlds, and even a set of its own!!" A magikoopa cackled.

Ragnus ducked under the peahats, and rolled aside to avoid the magikoopas' fireballs. His blade still ablaze, he swung his sword, completely incinerating a Goomba. "Hm. I'll make a note that those fall quickly." He said to himself, swinging his sword in a wide arc, taking out another two Goombas. Then, he backflipped out of the way of the wolflos triad. The third one, however, nicked him a bit with his claws, but Ragnus quickly spun around, and stabbed the sword into the wolf's back. Firagus erupted in flames, and the wolf was reduced to a pile of ashes.

The peahats came after him again, but Ragnus once again ducked. The two wolflos leaped at him, but he rolled under them, and stabbed Firagus into one of their underbellies... killing it right away. He then got up, and killed the two approaching goombas in one slash. The last hellhound ran at him again, but Ragnus embedded his sword into the beast's forehead. Two peahats flew at Ragnus once more, but Ragnus had already known their weakness well.

He slashed at one's spinning blades, causing it to wobble back and forth in air. Ragnus then slashed from its underside upwards, killing it. The second one was about to slash through Ragnus' neck, but all he had to do was duck under the creature, and stab his blade upward. He then got up off the ground by back flipping to his feet, thus avoiding another volley of the magikoopas' fireballs.

"Alright... now I'm mad..." Ragnus groaned, quite irritated with these three.

"What'll we do, now!?" The third magikoopa growled.

"...Heh. We'll summon THAT." The second said suddenly.

"You can't be serious... summoning that will cost us our lives!" The first said.

"Think... there's no way we can take this guy on... but if we summon THAT, then it'll kill this guy, and continue to fulfill our mission of destroying Horeron." The second explained.

The others paused.

"YES! I'll finally be able to exact revenge on that little town..." The first said.

"...It's worth a shot." The third sighed.

Suddenly, they all began casting some sort of spell at the same time, until their very bodies and souls became magic, itself. The three large spheres of magic suddenly combined into one large void of magic, and from it, stepped a huge creature. It must have been about ten feet tall. It seemed to be made out of decayed flesh, and had three heads. It had a pretty muscular build, and claws extended from its hands and feet. Besides that, it was like one giant, three-headed Redead.

"Oh boy..." Ragnus groaned. "This won't be that easy."

"Graoogh!!!" The creature roared, sending shivers down Ragnus' spine.

_Giant Soul Eating Abomination:_

_Omnigor_

Omnigor sent one of its mighty claws down at Ragnus, who jumped out of the way. He'd seen worse. Ganon was twice this thing's size, and was wielding two gigantic divine blades.

"Graoogh!" Omnigor bellowed, trying to attack Ragnus once more. Ragnus, however, rolled under the creature, and stabbed it in the stomach, causing Omnigor to roar in pain. It then began to glow with dark energy.

Ragnus readied himself to attack again, but a giant purple shockwave unleashed by this creature had knocked him back a good ten feet... and hurt like hell.

The creature then leapt high into the air, much to Ragnus' surprise, and came down right next to Ragnus. Before Ragnus could get up, Omnigor pinned him to the ground with his mighty claw. Once again, Ragnus was down on the ground, about to die by the hands of some horrible monstrosity... staring death, itself in the face. This, time however, there was nothing that would avert his demise... or was there...?

_...Meanwhile, in a nearby area..._

"Chicken go cluck, cluck, Cow go moo! Piggy go oink oink, how about you? Got to be an animal, just like you..." Sang a Kokiri who appeared to be twelve years in age. His blonde hair was combed neatly on his head, above his pair of Emerald Green eyes. He was 4'2" in height, and wore the traditional kokiri clothing... only red rather than green. At his side was sheathed a katana that was about 3 feet in length.

"Graoogh!" An enormous entity suddenly yelled, causing this kokiri to momentarily pause.

The Kokiri stopped for a moment, shrugged, and went back to his cheerful singing. "Duckies go quack quack, ostrich goes 'BLEH', Wolflos go-

CRUNCH!

Suddenly, a nearby tree fell down right in front of the kokiri. "Wha! What the Hell!?" The Kokiri yelled, looking to his left. He saw an enormous creature that looked like a Redead, only larger, with three heads, and claws, pinning down a Hylian.

"Hey... what does he think he's doing??" The Kokiri exclaimed, drawing his steel Katana, and running at the beast.

Omnigor didn't have time to react. He was about to crush Ragnus in his grip when one of the heads turned just in time to notice a Kokiri jumping up high into the air, a katana drawn, about to attack. The body could not catch act in time, and the kokiri severed one of the creatures' heads clean off.

"Graoogh!!!" The creature yelled in severe pain, as purple liquid dropped out of where the head used to be. It released its grip on Ragnus, and swatted the Kokiri fifteen feet away, but gave Ragnus the opportunity to run up the creature's side, and slice off a second head.

"Graoogh!!!" Omnigor yelled, about to unleash another wave of dark energy.

"You there!! Attack! I'll hold it off!!!" The Kokiri yelled to Ragnus, as Omnigor shot out another giant wave of dark energy, bigger than before. The kokiri held out a hand... and a bunch of rocks came up from the ground, forming a giant wall that collided with the dark energy. Though the dark energy still proceeded through the wall, it slowed down significantly. The Kokiri was using all his might to keep the wall of earth stable.

"What are you waiting for...? That final head's the key to its power!!" The kokiri yelled.

Ragnus nodded, and jumped high up into the air. Omnigor never saw anything coming. Just as the dark energy was about to break the wall, the third and final head of Omnigor was chopped off. With a cry of anguish, the dismembered head fell to the ground, and exploded with dark energy. The blast that he had previously sent at the Kokiri had disappeared, and the body simply began to vanish. Both Ragnus and the Kokiri looked extremely fatigued.

"Thanks... now, if I would, may I please have your name, Kokiri of the forest?" Ragnus asked, showing his politeness as a knight.

"Eh-hem. My name is..." The Kokiri began, swinging his blade around in intricate and impressive patterns. He then tossed the blade high up into the air, as it began spinning up, and then back down. "...Bevor!" He exclaimed, catching the Katana perfectly. "...Bevor's my name, I fight for fame, women are my game!!" He shouted, laughing.

Although Ragnus did respect this Bevor's katana-wielding skills, he had to suppress a laugh. A kokiri... who thought he was a ladies' man. This was definitely a first.

"So... what about, you?" Bevor asked, yawning. "...Anything interestin'?"

"Well, actually..." Ragnus began, beginning to tell the story of how he was from Hyrule, and the arrival of Ziranithos...

**End of Chapter**

So, what do you guys think? Personally, I didn't like the chapter very much, and think that this point around here will be the slowest point of the book. From here on out, it'll get better and better, as I have tons in store. Stick around, and review.

-Biggoron


	6. A New Companion

_**Out of Hope**_

_Chapter 5: A new companion_

**DISCLAIMER: **Refer to the previous Disclaimer.

"_What are you waiting for...? That final head's the key to its power!!" The kokiri yelled. _

_Ragnus nodded, and jumped high up into the air. Omnigor never saw anything coming. Just as the dark energy was about to break the wall, the third and final head of Omnigor was chopped off. With a cry of anguish, the dismembered head fell to the ground, and exploded with dark energy. The blast that he had previously sent at the Kokiri had disappeared, and the body simply began to vanish. Both Ragnus and the Kokiri looked extremely fatigued. _

_"Thanks... now, if I would, may I please have your name, Kokiri of the forest?" Ragnus asked, showing his politeness as a knight. _

_"Eh-hem. My name is..." The Kokiri began, swinging his blade around in intricate and impressive patterns. He then tossed the blade high up into the air, as it began spinning up, and then back down. "...Bevor!" He exclaimed, catching the Katana perfectly. "...Bevor's my name, I fight for fame, women are my game!!" He shouted, laughing._

_Although Ragnus did respect this Bevor's katana-wielding skills, he had to suppress a laugh. A kokiri... who thought he was a ladies' man. This was definitely a first. _

_"So... what about, you?" Bevor asked, yawning. "...Anything interestin'?" _

_"Well, actually..." Ragnus began, beginning to tell the story of how he was from Hyrule, and the arrival of Ziranithos..._

-

_Meanwhile... in an unknown location in Retrasio..._

A twelve foot tall monstrosity of a Goron walked into a very dimly lit room. The Goron's skin was made out of black stones similar to Obsidian, and his eyes were a crimson red that lusted after blood. He was enormously muscular, even by Goron standards. He had an unpredictable look on his face... like he could kill at any given second. On each wrist was an Iron shackle, complete with broken chains hanging from them. On his fists were huge knuckles made from a very dark steel, and stained with blood. He walked over to the far end of the room, where the darkness was impossible to peer into. It was just an endless void of darkness that seemed to consume all light, itself.

"My master..." The Goron began, bowing, his voice a giant rumble that shook the area.

"Rise, Bloodstone... What news do you have for me, today?" A softer voice that came from the darkness hissed.

The Goron got up. "As expected, those three magikoopas you sent couldn't even topple that small town in the boondocks south of the world... in fact, Spectra says that they never even made it through the green forest." He boomed.

There was about half a minute's pause, before the voice in the darkness spoke up again.

"I see... I know that the Green forest is harmless... how could they have possibly failed...? They all seemed so eager, too..."

"My lord... it has been reported that, like the wimps they were, they fought their hardest against a Hylian and a Kokiri, but were eventually killed."

"...Hm. Those two...? Do you know what they look like?"

The Goron, Bloodstone, shook his head. "No. Spectra does, though."

"I see... and where's that girl, now...?"

"She decided that not taking Horeron is of little consequence, and that the burning of the city of Balrua would be a far better testament of our might." Bloodstone boomed.

"Excellent... I do assume she's there, right now?"

"No... but she did leave one of her stronger servants to take charge, and is on her way to report here." Bloodstone rumbled.

"...She should've stayed there. Now, victory is not secure."

"My lord, you shouldn't worry. Spectra's quite fond of this one. He has enough strength to put the hurt on those magikoopa, and anything they could conjure up, in less than ten seconds.

"I see... so even if those two were to proceed into Balrua..."

"...Then not even them combined with the knights of Balrua would be enough to succeed." Bloodstone finished.

_...Meanwhile..._

"...And that's how I'm here right now, I guess." Ragnus finished, now walking out of the forest with Bevor. The night had ended, and day was just beginning.

Bevor simply stared back, wide-eyed. "... and now one who has power beyond even the mighty gods to begin with, is bolstered by all three parts of the TRIFORCE?!?" He exclaimed.

Ragnus nodded, solemnly.

Bevor smirked. "Don't even know why you're trying. It's hopeless, really. Hyrule's run out of hope."

Ragnus shook his head. "No. Hyrule's not out of hope, yet. There just has to be a way. There has to."

Bevor sighed. "Well... you don't even know how to get back to Hyrule, yet. Hopping dimensions isn't exactly a common practice... never mind defeating one whose power is absolutely unparalleled by anything else in all existence..."

"...You never know, really. It's too early to give up." Ragnus replied.

"I personally think it's too late... but if that's how you really feel... I suppose I'll accompany you." Bevor sighed.

Ragnus looked at the kokiri, surprised. "Really...? Why then, if you think it's hopeless..."

"Well..." Bevor began. "Three reasons."

"Go on."

"First and foremost... if we really did succeed... I'd become famous, and known throughout Retrasio and every world that I helped take down the strongest evil which ever lived!! I'd get all the ladies, then!"

Ragnus couldn't help but roll his eyes a little, but continuing listening politely.

"Secondly, I have nothing else better to do... and I suppose that saving Hyrule would rank a ... distant third." Bevor finished.

"...Can't say that my reasons are the same as yours, or in that order, but your help is appreciated." Ragnus replied.

"Indeed. Where we want to head is Metrigard. It's the dead center of Retrasio's map. We're... very far to the south. Very far. It's going to take us a very long time, and the journey may be arduous, but if there's something you need to know, Metrigard is the place to go." Bevor explained. "...Heh. I just rhymed there." He added in, smirking.

Ragnus sighed to himself. Bevor really is a very amusing fellow. For his interest in women and all, he sure does have a lot of childish traits about him. Then again, he is a kokiri. They are a race of forest children who never grow up.

"...And there... is Balrua." Bevor said, pointing to a large city on the horizon. It was more than ten times the size of Horeron, easily. Maybe even twenty or more times... it was hard to tell due to its large size. "...First step of gods know how many on the way to Metrigard." Bevor finished.

Ragnus nodded. Even from a distance, he could tell that the city was very much like Hyrule castle town... only a bit larger, and without a castle. He also figured that it was going to be filled with all sorts of races, like Horeron.

"Alright..." Ragnus yawned. "Let's restock here on supplies, and continue north."

Bevor stared at Ragnus. "...Aren't you tired?"

"Saving Hyrule comes first." Ragnus said.

"...You can't go saving Hyrule in a world that you don't even know without any sleep, now, can you?" Bevor asked.

"...I guess so..." Ragnus replied.

"Indeed. Now, when we get there, we should find an inn, sleep the day away... and then take the night to enjoy Balrua a little... I know Balrua has a fine night life. We could set off at dawn: Happy and Healthy! What do you say?" Bevor asked.

"...I'll get back to you on that part about the night on Balrua, but the rest of it sounds good." Ragnus yawned.

"It's a deal then." Bevor replied, as they walked into Balrua. Indeed, it was a giant city filled to the brim with various people of different races walking the streets, carrying out their daily tasks and businesses. The first thing that the two did was find the nearest inn, and go to sleep, quickly, not knowing the events that would be later unfolding...

**End of Chapter**

Well, though shorter than the last chapter, I think this one was a bit better. This chapter leaves many things to be wondered, and I would like to know what you think. Since this is a story of OC's, and things will get confusing, I'm going to include and interlude chapter here and there, just like in one of my other stories, so that the readers can keep up with the characters much more easily. After this chapter is submitted, I'm taking a break, and then writing the first interlude. Expect the first interlude to be posted later tonight.

-Biggoron


	7. Interlude I

_**Out of Hope**_

_Interlude the first_

**DISCLAIMER:** I'm not sure if it's really necessary for this chapter, because it's mainly an OC explanation... but just in case, I do not own any of the races listed here.

**Name:** Self Explanatory

**Race:** What kind of being the character is

**Age:** Character's Age

**Height:** Character's full height

**Role:** The character's role in this story

**Description:** A physical description on what the character looks like.

**Personality:** A description of the character's personality and non-physical traits and abilities

**Other:** Any additional info which would be found noteworthy about the character...

-

**Name:** Ragnus

**Race:** Hylian

**Age:** 20

**Height:** 6'0"

**Role:** Hyrule's finest Knight

**Description:** Short red hair with blue eyes. Ragnus wears the proud and shining plate armor of the royal knights of Hyrule. He's the true image of a knight in shining armor. His weapon, Firagus, is a four-foot long longsword that was made by the master Yoshi smith, Graphor. The blade has a golden hilt, with a diamond embedded in its center. The handle is wrapped in a fine and comfortable brown leather made for gripping, and at the bottom of the pommel is a ruby. The blade itself is red, too... and looking at it would make one feel as if they were a tad hot. The blade is sheathed comfortably at his side.

**Personality:**He has a very high sense of both pride and loyalty, but even more so determination beyond that of any other.

**Other:** Ragnus once had it all. He was known as the King's Right arm, and had a loving fiancé. He was a powerful knight who would help Hyrule retain its justice. He was assigned to slay Ganondorf, but then things went from horribly wrong... to worse.

-

**Name:** Bevor

**Race:** Kokiri

**Age:** 12

**Height:** 4'2"

**Role:** Self-proclaimed "Ladies' Man"

**Description:** Blonde hair combed neatly on his head, above his pair of Emerald Green eyes. Wears the traditional kokiri clothing... only red rather than green. At his side is sheathed a katana that's about 3 feet in length.

**Personality:** He has chivalrous ways about him... maybe a bit too chivalrous. He's always flirting the ladies, and is a huge show-off. He's bored a lot of the time, and is arrogant and self-absorbed; he actually tends to get drunk very often, despite his young age.

**Other:** Nothing else is really known about Bevor

-

**Name:** Bloodstone

**Race:** Goron

**Age:** Unknown

**Height:** 12'1"

**Role:** A humungous Goron who serves some form of dark lord

**Description:** Skin is made out of entirely black stones similar to Obsidian, and his eyes are a crimson red that lust after blood. He's enormously muscular, even by Goron standards. On each wrist is an Iron shackle, complete with broken chains hanging from them. On his fists are huge knuckles made from a very dark steel, and are stained with blood.

**Personality:** He has an unpredictable look on his face... like he could kill at any given second. Though he serves his master faithfully, his true motivation is the joy of battle and destruction, and the thrill of killing.

**Other:** Nothing else is known about Bloodstone at all.

-

**End of Interlude**

Well, those are the three characters of significance in the story right now. I'm not sure if I'll have another chapter posted tomorrow (today, actually, since it's about 1:30 in the morning right now), but I'll try and get one by the end of Monday. You don't have to, but if you wish, drop a review leaving your thoughts on the characters, or even the story, itself.

-Biggoron


	8. Balrua Nights

_**Out of Hope**_

_Chapter 6: Balrua Nights_

**DISCLAIMER:** Refer to the disclaimer before the previous disclaimer.

A Note to James: As for the Zora, yes, but give the appearance some time. Also, I'm putting my FE story on a hiatus of sorts. I might eventually go back to it, I might reconstruct it, or I may delete it. Either way, I don't know for certain, but when I figure it out for myself, I will let you know.

_Bevor stared at Ragnus. "...Aren't you tired?"_

_"Saving Hyrule comes first." Ragnus said._

_"...You can't go saving Hyrule in a world that you don't even know without any sleep, now, can you?" Bevor asked._

_"...I guess so..." Ragnus replied._

_"Indeed. Now, when we get there, we should find an inn, sleep the day away... and then take the night to enjoy Balrua a little... I know Balrua has a fine night life. We could set off at dawn: Happy and Healthy! What do you say?" Bevor asked._

_"...I'll get back to you on that part about the night on Balrua, but the rest of it sounds good." Ragnus yawned._

_"It's a deal then." Bevor replied, as they walked into Balrua. Indeed, it was a giant city filled to the brim with various people of different races walking the streets, carrying out their daily tasks and businesses. The first thing that the two did was find the nearest inn, and go to sleep, quickly, not knowing the events that would be later unfolding..._

-

_...10 P.M..._

_-Balrua inn-_

"Ahh... that was a good sleep." Ragnus said, getting up with a stretch. He looked around, and saw that the other bed was empty. Only a single piece of paper was left in it.

_Ragnus,_

_I've hit the Tavern. Off to go get me some ladiiiiiiies! OH YEAH! _

_-Bevor, Pimp of Time_

Ragnus shook his head. He wanted to head farther north, and continue on his journey... but he might need Bevor's skills. He'd have no choice but to go to the bar. Grabbing Firagus, and putting on his armor, he left the inn, and walked into nighttime Balrua.

The city seemed ten times as big at night.

The stars lit up the dark sky, and various lights of different colors were hung up everywhere, as if it was some sort of festival. Various people of different races all roamed the streets, all in the mood to party.

...Ragnus was in no such mood. He promptly went to find Bevor. Too bad Bevor didn't exactly say which Tavern he was staying at. The city had twelve...

_...Meanwhile, on a large cliff about half a mile away from Balrua..._

A force of about three hundred had gathered upon the cliff. The force consisted of roughly a hundred and fifty humans who wore black armor, seventy five black bomb ombs, fifty or so Gerudo warriors, and twenty five Gorons who you could tell had a desire to break some bones and drink some blood. They all waited impatiently, at the top of the cliff... waiting for the orders of the one who led them: A figure cloaked in black. You could see a pair of serious brown eyes coming from the cloak.

Some of the soldiers where getting very antsy. They wanted to shed blood. These weren't normal beings; They all killed for the fun of it.

"...Grr... how much longer?!?" A Goron who stood around 7'2" boomed.

The cloaked figure turned around.

"...Spectra left me in charge. As her second in command, you will treat me with respect, and trust in my judgment..." The figure said, quite simply.

"...Gah! I'll listen to Spectra, but not this puny shrimp!!" The Goron bellowed, running forward, causing the ground to shake a bit. He ran forward, and brought his fist down upon the cloaked figure. All he hit was solid ground.

He then felt cold metal pressing up against his neck. "...This katana of mine can easily cut through stone, meaning I'd have no problem slicing your throat open right now." The figure said, matter-of-factly. He was now standing behind the Goron. "Choose your next move wisely."

The Goron sighed, and brought his fists down at his sides.

"Very good. Save your anger for Balrua." The figure said, sheathing his weapon. He then turned to the rest of his soldiers. "...Anyone else want to try?"

They all tensed up, and stood as straight upright as possible, not muttering a word.

"...Very good." The figure said finally. As he looked down at Balrua off in the distance, a strong gust of wind suddenly picked up.

"..._soon..._" He muttered to himself, so that nobody else could hear him.

_...Meanwhile..._

"Yeeeeeee -hic- heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwww!!" Bevor exclaimed, spinning around on his stool. He was sitting at the bar, and was actually quite drunk. Of course, he was underage, but he was a kokiri. He took advantage of that by claiming he was two hundred and seventeen. Since Kokiri never grow up, the bartender had to oblige. He was surrounded by two women who were in their mid-twenties.

"Isn't he so cute...?" One of them asked, pinching his cheeks.

"I wish I had a son as cute as that!" The other exclaimed.

Bevor looked at the two women with a glazed stare. "Heeeeeeyyyyy thar -hic- ladiess... d'wanu d- -hic- com 'nd spend -hic- the 'ite weth me at the iyn...?"

Little did he notice, but he was completely ignored.

"Aw... lookit the little guy... he thinks he's all gwon up coming to da big bad bar, isn't he?" The first woman asked the second, using baby talk that would make Bevor want to puke if he was sober.

"Yeah... but we should get going. I don't want to miss the party in town!" The second said.

"-hic- Heyyyy... don't leyve me, my two 'ittle -hic- cotton p-puffs..." Bevor said, still in his stupor. He then let out an inhumanly large belch that shook the very tavern, itself. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and stared. Even the people in the back playing pool stopped what they were doing... especially since the belch caused one of them to mess up on his shot, and he severely scraped the pool table.

"...Oh my." One of the women said, before the other promptly dragged her out of the tavern.

"Awwhhh..." Bevor sighed. "-hic-"

Suddenly, Ragnus stormed through the door of the tavern, quite angry.

"...YOU!" He yelled, approaching Bevor angrily.

Bevor turned around, a glazed look in his eyes. "Oh... -hic- hello there, buddy!"

"Do you know that I had to wander around lost in the big city, trying to find you and your horny $$ all night?!? I looked through nine taverns, almost got into several fights, actually got into two fights, and only found you because I heard your massive belch from two blocks away, and- ...you're drunk, aren't you...?"

"Wheeeeeeeeee!!! I'm sitting in a tin can... -hic- far above the- BURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPP!!!!" Bevor sang (and then belched), while spinning around in his chair. You could hear the pool table being scratched again, and a man in the corner cursing. "...Oh... -hic- saey sometin?" He then asked, a huge drunken grin plastered onto his face.

"..." Ragnus inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying not to lose his temper.

Suddenly, the three men who were playing pool in the corner approached Ragnus. One of them was a human of about 6'2", one was a shy guy of about 4'2", and the other was a zora of about 6'1". "Hey... you know that kid?" The human asked.

"Unfortunately... yes..." Ragnus sighed.

"Three hundred million eight hundred eighty one thousand seventy eight bottles of beer on the wall, three hundred million eight hundred eighty one thousand seventy eight bottles of beer! -Hic- Take one down -hic- pass it around... Three hundred million eight hundred eight one thousand seventy seven bottles of beer on the wall!" Bevor sang, horribly off key.

"Well, he owes us a new pool table." The Zora chimed in.

"..." The shy guy said, too inaudible to hear.

"...How does he even play pool?" Ragnus asked, motioning to the shy guy, who was barely as tall as the table.

"Not the point. Since you're an adult, and right now he's... erm... unavailable, you owe us a hundred Kyriths. Now."

Ragnus looked into the pouch of Kyriths that Selena and Graphor had given him. He only had fifty Kyriths.

"Well, you see..." Ragnus began.

"That's it, let's pulverize 'im!" The human said, drawing a saber. The zora drew a spear, and the shy guy drew a mace.

"If we must." Ragnus sighed, unsheathing Firagus.

The human and the Zora rushed forward, but a single wide swing of Firagus put a deep gash in them that also set them on fire. The human was horribly burned, while the Zora was roasted alive.

The shy guy was about to attack, when Bevor smashed a beer bottle over his head, knocking him out.

"Oops. You're safe! -hic-" Bevor groaned, looking at Kyrith drunkenly over the unconscious body of the shy guy.

"I'll... remember this..." The human said, limping out of the tavern.

Ragnus sighed, and sheathed his blade. "Come on, Bevor. We're off."

"Okie-dokie!" Bevor grinned. "Upsie-daisy!" He then exclaimed, hopping off his stool, wobbling around a little. He took one step, and then immediately fell flat on his face.

Ragnus was at a loss for words.

_...Meanwhile..._

"Midnight. The time's right." Let's move." The figure said, suddenly vanishing where he stood. The soldiers, who were eagerly awaiting battle, let out a war cry, and then charged down into the unsuspecting city.

_...Back in the city..._

Multiple bottles of wine popped open as midnight hit. "HAPPY NEW DAY!!!" The people yelled out collectively.

"To Retrasio's age of prosperity!"

"To Balrua!"

"May the good times never end!!"

Suddenly, there was an explosion at the far end of town, which caused multiple screams and panic. Everyone stopped what they were doing, as various soldiers rushed to the explosion. There was a giant hole in the wall, with dust still coming from it. The soldiers held out their spears, and awaited what to do next.

Suddenly, several Gorons rolled out of the thick wall of dust, and slammed into the wall of soldiers, breaking their weapons, running them over, and continuing. The soldiers that survived tried to fight back, but some bomb-ombs snuck up behind them and exploded themselves. The front line of Balrua soldiers was taken down within the minute.

_...Meanwhile, in a street not at all that far away..._

"...Did you hear that...?" Ragnus asked, the woozy Bevor leaning upon his shoulder.

Before his question was answered, several soldiers were running up the street toward them, weapons drawn, intent to kill.

Bevor's eyes suddenly grew small, in a burst of renewed energy, he got off Ragnus' shoulder.

"...I'm... BATMAN!!" He exclaimed, quite suddenly.

"..."

"Quickly, Robin! -hic- We need to defeat the evildoers to get to the bat cave!!"

"...Wh...aa...?"

"FOR CANADA!!!!" Bevor yelled, unsheathing his Katana. He then let out a very loud and scary Ingo-esque war cry, and ran into the oncoming volley of soldiers.

Ragnus shrugged. "Hey, whatever works, right...?" He muttered to himself, unsheathing Firagus. He actually noticed that Bevor was doing exceptionally well. He was holding his own against a group of about thirty.

He was about to join the fray when he suddenly felt a faint gust of wind. His keen knight's instinct told him to turn around. Doing so, he saw the cloaked figure standing behind him.

"...And you are?" Ragnus asked.

"Your killer." The robed figure said, unsheathing a katana that was blood red in color, in contrast to Firagus' fiery red.

"Very well." Ragnus said, pointing his blade at the figure. Your move.

The figure threw off his cloak. He was a sheikah who appeared to be around twenty two years old. He was sort of skinny, and 6'1" in height. He had brown eyes and hair, but the rest of his face was covered by a mask. He wore black sheikah tights all over his army, but you could tell that there was thin, yet durable armor underneath it.

"...Gladly."

**End of Chapter**

So, what'd you guys think? This is probably my favorite chapter so far. I intend on making the next one very good, too. Well, leave me a review, telling me what you guys think. Thanks, guys. Until next chapter...

-Biggoron


	9. Fate of Balrua

_**Out of Hope**_

_Chapter 7: Fate of Balrua_

**DISCLAIMER:** Yep. I own Retrasio, most of the OC's here, and the storyline, itself. I do not, however, own any of the elements already owned by Nintendo, such as the character races and the triforce.

A note to Mikey: You're a dumbass. I didn't force you to read it by any means, I simply gave you the link and told you it was my story, and you never even said a thing about being busy. You're just stupid, and a bad critic with no backings. "I can't say it's the best thing I've ever read _since I know you."_ Whether you know me or not makes no difference of the quality of the work. Noob. Don't review until you know how.

"_FOR CANADA!!!!" Bevor yelled, unsheathing his Katana. He then let out a very loud and scary Ingo-esque war cry, and ran into the oncoming volley of soldiers. _

_Ragnus shrugged. "Hey, whatever works, right...?" He muttered to himself, unsheathing Firagus. He actually noticed that Bevor was doing exceptionally well. He was holding his own against a group of about thirty. _

_He was about to join the fray when he suddenly felt a faint gust of wind. His keen knight's instinct told him to turn around. Doing so, he saw the cloaked figure standing behind him. _

_"...And you are?" Ragnus asked._

_"Your killer." The robed figure said, unsheathing a katana that was blood red in color, in contrast to Firagus' fiery red._

_"Very well." Ragnus said, pointing his blade at the figure. Your move. _

_The figure threw off his cloak. He was a sheikah who appeared to be around twenty two years old. He was sort of skinny, and 6'1" in height. He had brown eyes and hair, but the rest of his face was covered by a mask. He wore black sheikah tights all over his army, but you could tell that there was thin, yet durable armor underneath it. _

_"...Gladly." _

-

Despite the fierce battles raging all around the city, there was a few moments of silence in the area which Ragnus and the leader of these soldiers were in. Just as Ragnus broke the silence by taking a single step forward, the figure disappeared, and reappeared behind Ragnus, landing a powerful drop kick to his back that sent Ragnus sprawling.

Ragnus, however, put his hands out, and flipped back up to his feet before he hit the ground. He turned around just in time to block a lightning-fast swing from the figure's blade. Ragnus then began to push back against the figure, and their weapons were locked in a contest of strength. Both the weapons and their wielders seemed evenly matched. Suddenly, Firagus began to radiate with intense heat, and Ragnus began overpowering the figure. In a giant sheet of flame, Ragnus swung down at the figure with all his might. The figure, knowing he couldn't win that fight, quickly jumped backwards, and threw some shuriken at Ragnus. The shuriken hit Ragnus head on, but when he swung the blade, large fireballs came forth, and struck the figure at the same time. Both combatants were knocked to the ground.

They each got up, and brushed themselves on. Ragnus had a couple of gashes while the sheikah was severely burnt.

Without a word, the sheikah ran full speed at Ragnus, with his katana drawn. Ragnus, not having expected this, held his blade up in defense, but the momentum that the sheikah carried pushed Ragnus back far enough for the sheikah to deliver an uppercut with his free hand. This knocked Ragnus backwards, but once again, he put out his hands so he could flip back onto his footing. However, as soon as he was readjusted, he noticed that there were now five identical sheikah surrounding him, all with a handful of shuriken. At this point, Ragnus didn't quite know what to do.

"The clone technique... handy, isn't it?" The sheikah asked, as he and all the clones got ready to toss the shuriken at any given moment.

Ragnus growled, and then looked down at Firagus... the blade which Graphor had so kindly given him.

_Graphor smiled. "I forgot about that one... it was my very first blade... and probably one of, if not the, best of them. The blade itself is made out of fused adamantium, crystals, rubies, and red elemental components... a perfect fit. You seem very comfortable with it, and the blade packs a punch as well. It's not going to break easily. You could hit this thing as many times as you want against a solid wall, and it won't even have a scratch on it! Since it'll be going toward saving your world, I'll allow you to keep it..."_

Ragnus then held his blade behind his back.

Suddenly, all the sheikah clones threw their shuriken at Ragnus, all at the same time, from every side.

Suddenly, Ragnus spun the blade with all his might in a full circle, creating a large vortex of flame that melted the shuriken midair, eliminated the four clones, and burnt the real one. When the flames receded, both warriors were breathing heavily.

"The flaming spin attack... handy isn't it...?" Ragnus panted, smirking a bit. As powerful as it was, the attack had taken a huge toll of Ragnus' energy. However, the sheikah wasn't looking all that great, either. He was covered in harsh burns.

"Hmph ...You fight very well... tell me, before you die, what is your name?" The sheikah asked, poising himself for another strike.

"I am... Ragnus... finest knight... of... Hyrule!!" Ragnus said, between gasping for air.

The sheikah suddenly stopped, and lowered his weapon.

"...So, there were others who survived...?" The sheikah asked.

"...Wait... what...?" Ragnus asked, confused.

"I am Hans. A sheikah of Hyrule."

"Oh... so why are you with these guys, then...?" Ragnus asked.

"Well..." Hans began.

"...A few days ago, back when I was in the sheikah village in Hyrule, the weather grew progressively and progressively worse. I knew that something very evil was coming... but nobody believed me. I was the only one who knew. I then found a sheikah scroll that teleported me from Hyrule to here..."

"Wait... so you can hop back and forth between dimensions?" Ragnus asked, hopefully.

"Yes and no. Sheikah scrolls can only be found in Hyrule, and they burn up after they're used. I don't think there's a way to get back... if there's even any of the planet left..." Hans replied.

Ragnus looked down, disappointed.

"...Anyways, I was out training one day, and this man found me, and told me my skills were impressive, and to come with him. I was given an offer... swear an allegiance to this group, and be rewarded, or be killed. Hoping I could be rewarded with transportation back to Hyrule, I accepted."

"I see... and what's this group like...?"

"...They're called the Death Dealers. A sinister cult whose motives not even I know. There are many thousands, maybe even millions of members of the cult. They're spread all across Retrasio, in every place, save the very northernmost province."

"Why not the northernmost province?"

"I was told that it's the uncharted lands. Any who try and venture in are promptly found dead and in a mangled mess not even a minute later. The inhabitants of the land say it's a horrible place, like hell on Retrasio, only far, far worse."

"...Oh."

"But anyway, the Death Dealers are led the twelve members of the Black Zodiac... they're all warriors of... inhuman power... I've only seen one of them... a Zora named Spectra... and even I must say, her powers make mine look like nothing in the least. I don't know about the other eleven... but that's all I know of the Death Dealers."

"I see."

"So... Ragnus, tell me your story..."

"Well..." Ragnus began, telling Hans about his battle against Ganondorf, and then Ziranithos' appearance.

"Hm. You mean to tell me that you're on a quest to stop one whose power surpasses the gods to begin with, and is now wielding all three pieces of the triforce, as well...?" Hans asked.

"...Yes." Ragnus sighed.

"Hate to tell you this, but you're screwed. In fact, I'd say that we're all screwed, now." Hans replied.

"No matter how powerful he is... no matter what he may wield... no matter the risk... I have nothing left to lose. All I ever knew... love, family, friends, country... lied in Hyrule... and I will risk my life to bring things back to the way they were, and take Ziranithos down. I have nothing left but my duty to Hyrule, and hope." Ragnus said.

"Hope, eh? Looks to me like it's now out of hope." Hans replied.

"Think what you will. Hope's what's going to win the day." Ragnus said.

"... Quite the idealist. I suppose it's foolhardy, but... I may as well help. All that I knew was in Hyrule, too..." Hans said.

"Really?" Ragnus asked.

"Yes." Hans said, and then paused. "Now why don't we stop this chit-chat, and take care of the Death Dealers, here?"

Ragnus turned, and noticed that all of the warriors from before all laid dead, and Bevor was nowhere to be found.

"GIVE ME YOUR POT OF GOLD, YOU F(#NG LEPRECHAUN!!"

"...This way." Ragnus said, heading toward the yell.

"...What makes you so sure we should go that way?" Hans asked.

"Trust me." Ragnus replied, as the two ran off in that direction.

_...In the town square..._

Many corpses of both soldiers and Death Dealers lay in Balrua's town square. Bevor was fighting off a large horde of soldiers by himself. Although he was doing well, he was beginning to falter. "No -hic- fair! I thought you were the monkey in the middle!! ...BURRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!" Bevor wobbled, then burped. It caused the soldiers to pause momentarily, allowing Bevor to decapitate a few surrounding soldiers. "...-hic- Che-cheaters!! That's what you get for not eating your wheaties!!"

"...A friend of yours...?" Hans asked, in slight disbelief.

"Yeah, we should help him." Ragnus replied.

"Very well." Hans replied, drawing his katana.

"Balrua Knights... attack!!" A voice suddenly exclaimed. A force of about three hundred knights rounded the corner into the town square. With only about fifty of the Death Dealers' force left, they began to retreat out of the city. As they ran, a new sunrise peered over Balrua.

"...And so... Balrua lives on another day..." Hans muttered to himself.

"That sunrise there... it's a symbol of hope... for a better future." Ragnus said.

"Ow... my freaking head..." Bevor said, holding his head in pain. His eyes had more of a pained look than a glazed one. Apparently, he had broken his drunken stupor.

"Funny little tyke, that one." Hans said.

"...Who's that?" Bevor asked, still groggy.

"Hans. He's a sheikah from Hyrule."

"Oh."

"... Well, we should probably sleep, if only for a few hours. It would be bad to go off on the road with all these wounds... and we're all quite tired." Hans suggested.

"No kidding..." Bevor groaned.

"Very well then... let's head back to the inn." Ragnus said, smiling slightly.

_Maybe with this new team of three, the future looked a bit brighter... but was there really any hope...?_

**End of Chapter**

Alright. Thanks to my reviewers so far. At least the good ones. Expect another chapter tomorrow.

-Biggoron


	10. Death Dealers

_**Out of Hope**_

_Chapter 8: Death Dealers_

**DISCLAIMER: **Refer to the previous Disclaimer.

A note to everyone: My apologies for not having updated in awhile. I've been busy focusing on an original story of mine (original, as in completely my idea, an not on fanfic or anywhere else online). That, combined with the fact that I've been a little busy (even though summer usually means that people aren't as busy), has given me little time to think about what I've wanted to write. I'd like to thank everyone who was patient. As for those of you who weren't...

A note to JamesFisco24: Repeatedly PM'ing me over and over asking when I'm going to update gets very annoying. If I'm going to abandon the story, I'll let everyone know, but I highly doubt it. I mean, I can understand maybe once, but THREE times?!? Come on. I ask for more patience next time.

Another note: After this chapter, I'll be on vacation until the 10th of July... so don't expect any updates until after then. Okay, now I'm done with the notes...

"_...And so... Balrua lives on another day..." Hans muttered to himself._

_"That sunrise there... it's a symbol of hope... for a better future." Ragnus said._

_"Ow... my freaking head..." Bevor said, holding his head in pain. His eyes had more of a pained look than a glazed one. Apparently, he had broken his drunken stupor._

_"Funny little tyke, that one." Hans said._

_"...Who's that?" Bevor asked, still groggy._

_"Hans. He's a sheikah from Hyrule." _

_"Oh."_

_"... Well, we should probably sleep, if only for a few hours. It would be bad to go off on the road with all these wounds... and we're all quite tired." Hans suggested._

_"No kidding..." Bevor groaned._

_"Very well then... let's head back to the inn." Ragnus said, smiling slightly._

_Maybe with this new team of three, the future looked a bit brighter... but was there really any hope...?_

-

_...Back in the unknown location in Retrasio..._

"Spectra, come forth!" The figure enshrouded in darkness hissed.

An eight foot tall female Zora walked into the room. Her skin, rather than the traditional light blue zora scales, was made up of white scales which glowed brightly in various different colors, giving it a majestic look that was a beauty to behold. Her eyes were green, and it was easy to see that she was a cunning and calculating one. She wore a confident smirk on her face that would make just about anyone opposing her uncomfortable. Her fins, however, were enormous, each one about five feet long. They looked incredibly sharp as well, and were shaped so that each fin had large, three-pronged tips. They also glowed more brightly than all the other scales on her body.

"Yes, my lord?" The Zora asked, bowing.

"... You failed. All of your forces sent to Balrua were killed... the attack was a failure. That second in command you were so confident in had failed you!"

"Actually, Hans didn't fail me. He betrayed me, rather. The attack would've been a success hadn't he switched sides." Spectra explained.

"Hm... Very well. It's of little consequence, then. We can attack Balrua later with a much larger force. We've plenty to spare."

"Actually, maybe we should take care of Hans and that little group of his that he's travelling with. Should we leave them alone, they may become a thorn in our side..." Spectra offered.

"We shall wait and see... we have more important matters, right now... how'd the last northern exploration force go?"

"...Um... all five thousand of them were found dead seconds after they went in..." Spectra sighed.

The figure's fist slammed down onto some object that couldn't be seen in all the darkness. It caused the room to shake. Spectra nearly lost her balance.

"Grr... we've got the other Black Zodiac members positioned in every area of Retrasio, but we take two steps into the north... and everything we send gets destroyed!!"

"... Why not send a member of the Black Zodiac?" Spectra asked.

"Already tried. Orphus lasted a record fifteen seconds before he was found horribly mangled, destroyed, and ultimately annihilated. We had to replace him with Jorek."

"Oh yes. Right." Spectra replied.

"GAH!! What the hell could be out there...?"

_...Meanwhile..._

_Around noon, Ragnus, Bevor, and Hans woke up, showered, gathered their things, and left Balrua... its thankful citizens had provided them with some more Kyriths. Now, they were heading off North again..._

"...You're telling me that we have no idea where we're going...?" Hans asked in disbelief.

"Well, we DID have a map..." Ragnus grumbled, looking down at Bevor.

"Erm..." Bevor stammered.

"...until some lady went up to SOMEBODY, asked for the map in exchange for a little 'time in bed', and then told the somebody to close his eyes, and promptly ran away with the map..." Ragnus finished.

"You mean... you...?" Hans said slowly, twitching.

"I didn't mean to..." Bevor sighed.

Hans promptly bashed Bevor on the back of the head with the backside of his katana.

"OW! What was that for?!" Bevor asked.

"...This is going to be a long journey..." Ragnus mumbled.

_...Meanwhile again..._

Spectra walked outside the dark room, and into a large hallway. The hallway had large windows that looked out, far, far, down... into an incredible vast forest. The hallway itself was made out of a black stone, and the carpet was a blood red. The hallway seemed to circle the room which the dark figure rested.

"Well, well, Spectra... looks like your little plan failed..." An incredibly deep voice boomed.

"Bloodstone... I believed even you had endorsed my plan." Spectra said to Bloodstone, who had just entered the hallway.

Bloodstone smirked, revealing his incredibly large goron teeth.

"Ha. Not my error. Goes to show you how superior the might of the gorons is to the zoras."

"Might, maybe, but it's not all that matters." Spectra replied, calmly.

"Want to test that?" Bloodstone asked, grinning. His eyes looked extremely hungry... for battle and for blood.

"Very well..." Spectra replied, extending her fins.

"RAH!" Bloodstone growled, stomping his foot down. The floor beneath them immediately cracked, and both of them fell to the next floor down.

Bloodstone curled up into a rock, and since he landed that way, wasn't hurt in the least.

Spectra, however, took a bit of pain on from the fall, but still looked like she was barely scratched.

"Who says gorons don't have brains?" Bloodstone asked, uncurling.

"That barely scratched me... and you just completely destroyed the floor near our master's room." Spectra replied, with a smirk.

"Very well then... no more bullshitting." Bloodstone said, bringing his fist back. He then began running at Spectra, each step severely shaking the area.

Spectra got her fins ready. Bloodstone then reached her, and...

'BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM'

Dust was sent flying everywhere, and the floor nearly cracked open once more. When the dust cleared, Bloodstone was standing on one side with his fist out, and Spectra on the other side, collapsed on the ground.

Bloodstone smirked, but suddenly, two huge gashes appeared in him.

"Grr... only one way to settle this, Zora..." Bloodstone grumbled.

"Very well." Spectra replied, getting up.

Bloodstone brought his fist back, and suddenly black flames began wrapping around it... growing and growing in heat and size. Eventually, it was an intense black fireball as large as Bloodstone, himself.

Spectra, on the other hand stood ready, her fins fully extended. They each began to glow white, and sparkle with intense energy that emitted a very high-pitched buzzing noise.

Suddenly, they both ran forward, and right before they connected... reality began to distort itself. Just then, there was a brilliant flash. Before either of them knew it, both were standing back in the hallway in front of their master's doorway. The tower was once again fully intact.

"... What the...?" Bloodstone growled.

Suddenly, a black shy guy appeared. He was about 4'5" in height. His mask, however, was kind of disturbing. It had no eyes on it, and the mouth was an enormous evil grin.

"Krogost, why do you interfere??" Bloodstone asked, angrily.

"You do not want to anger master, right?" The shy guy, Krogost, asked in return.

"We wanted to finish our battle!" Spectra cried.

"Well, master wouldn't want either of you dead, or half his tower destroyed... so I just reset time." Krogost said, calmly.

"Why you..." Bloodstone said, advancing.

"You'd be helpless to face me. I control time." Krogost said, emotionlessly.

"Let it go." Spectra said.

"Dammit." Bloodstone growled.

**End of Chapter**

Well, now we've met another member of the black zodiac. Just what is the extent of his powers? And what course of action will the three heroes take now that Bevor did away with their map? Find out later.

Until Next Chapter,

-Biggoron


End file.
